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With the Detroit Lions' first preseason game coming up later this week, it's time for another 53-man roster prediction. Take a look:
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QB Matthew Stafford QB Dan Orlovsky QB Kellen Moore QB James Franklin RB Reggie Bush RB Joique Bell RB Theo Riddick RB Mikel Leshoure RB Steven Miller RB George Winn FB Montell Owens FB Jed Collins FB Chad Abram WR Calvin Johnson WR Golden Tate WR Kevin Ogletree WR Ryan Broyles WR Jeremy Ross WR TJ Jones (PUP list) WR Kris Durham WR Corey Fuller WR Pat Edwards WR Andrew Peacock WR Quintin Payton |
TE Eric Ebron TE Brandon Pettigrew TE Joseph Fauria TE Jordan Thompson TE Jacob Maxwell OT Riley Reiff OT LaAdrian Waddle OT Corey Hilliard OT Cornelius Lucas OT Michael Williams OT A.J. Dalton OG Rob Sims OG Larry Warford OG Rodney Austin OG Garrett Reynolds OG Darren Keyton OG Alex Bullard OG Bryce Quigley C Dominic Raiola C Travis Swanson |
DE Ziggy Ansah DE Jason Jones DE Devin Taylor DE Darryl Tapp DE Larry Webster DE George Johnson DE Kris Redding DT Ndamukong Suh DT Nick Fairley DT C.J. Mosley DT Caraun Reid DT Andre Fluellen DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen DT Xavier Proctor DT Gregory Hickman LB DeAndre Levy LB Stephen Tulloch LB Kyle Van Noy LB Ashlee Palmer LB Tahir Whitehead LB Travis Lewis LB Cory Greenwood LB Julian Stanford LB Brandon Hepburn LB Justin Jackson |
CB Darius Slay CB Rashean Mathis CB Bill Bentley CB Cassius Vaughn CB Jonte Green CB Nevin Lawson CB Chris Greenwood CB Aaron Hester CB Mohammed Seisay S Glover Quin S James Ihedigbo S Don Carey S DeJon Gomes S Isa Abdul-Quddus S Jerome Couplin K Nate Freese K Giorgio Tavecchio P Sam Martin P Drew Butler LS Don Muhlbach |
(You can see my pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction here.)
Changes to the 53-man roster
FB Montell Owens in, S Isa Abdul-Quddus out - Considering Owens is currently listed as the Lions' starting fullback, I now have him making the 53-man roster. I thought about simply having him take Jed Collins' spot, but they seem like different kinds of fullbacks who could end up having somewhat different roles on the team. As a result, I have both of them on the 53-man roster for the time being, and I dropped the Lions' fifth safety to make room for Owens. (If it becomes clear later this month that only one fullback is going to make the team, I might actually add George Johnson as the Lions' 10th defensive lineman instead of putting Abdul-Quddus back on the 53-man roster.)
WR Kevin Ogletree in, WR Kris Durham out - Back in May and June, I had Ogletree making the team over Durham, and I should have just stuck with that last time. Ogletree has emerged as the Lions' No. 3 receiver, and at the very least, he's in good shape to make the 53-man roster. Durham could still stick around as the Lions' fourth or fifth receiver (or even sixth receiver, if they keep that many), but I can't see him making the team over Ryan Broyles or Jeremy Ross. Actually, you might even be able to make a better case for keeping Corey Fuller over Durham if the Lions do make room for an extra receiver.
CB Jonte Green in, CB Chris Greenwood out - By all accounts, Green has had a pretty stellar training camp so far. Assuming the Lions keep only six cornerbacks, there's really only one spot up for grabs at this point. Bill Bentley and Cassius Vaughn have established themselves as the main backups, and the Lions aren't going to release Nevin Lawson after spending a fourth-round pick on him. As a result, Green makes the team, leaving Greenwood as the odd man out.
WR TJ Jones to the PUP list - I didn't actually have Jones making the team even before he ended up on the PUP list. Now, with him still out after having shoulder surgery, it's looking more and more likely that he will spend the first part of the regular season on the PUP list. So this technically isn't a change to the 53-man roster, but I don't have the Lions flat out releasing Jones anymore.